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With the launch of former President Donald Trump’s new social media platform, TRUTH Social, originally planned for Feb. 21 but now delayed until late March, Trump’s ability to galvanize conservative social media users in support of the venture could soon be tested. Its initial press has claimed it will “stand up to the tyranny of Big Tech.” But experts say the inherent nature of the site—i.e., catering to a specific idealogical viewpoint—will likely prevent it from reaching the same heights as mainstream platforms like Facebook, Twitter, or Discord.
Social media platforms become more useful to the public as the number of people using them increases, says Joshua Tucker, co-director of NYU’s Center for Social Media and Politics.
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“The more people who join, the more value [these sites] provide. That’s a fundamental premise of social media,” he says. “So when you start out by lopping off [a large percentage] of the population, that gets more challenging because it’s harder to scale. And that’s especially the case when there are alternatives out there that have don’t have the same limitations as you.”
From Twitter knockoffs Parler, Gab and GETTR to YouTube competitor Rumble, TRUTH Social has been preceded by a number of other free-speech-centric platforms that have become right-wing havens. However, none have risen to large scale success.
Read More: What’s Allowed on Trump’s New ‘TRUTH’ Social Media Platform—And What Isn’t
While there is a market for alternative social platforms that target specific communities, Kristina Lerman, a research professor of computer science and principal scientist at the University of Southern California’s Information Sciences Institute, says that such sites aren’t going to replace platforms that attract a more diverse set of the population.
“There’s a whole social network for beer enthusiasts where they can come together and post reviews of beers,” she says. “It’s great that such a community exists where…
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Source : time
